The whereabouts of four members of the Indonesian Navy in waters near the Philippine border is still a mystery, an official has said.

“Until now, there are no signs of where they are. We have used satellites and there are no signs of them. They just vanished,” Manado Naval Base (Lantamal VII) spokesman Maj. Dedy Irawan said on Monday.

The men who were reported missing on Dec. 14 were identified as Second Lt. Faisal Dwi AR, Second Sgt. Mes Rizky Dwi Deptianto, Chief Seaman Amo Dian Mahendra and Second Seaman Isy Badnur Rohim.

However, Dedy said the navy was still searching for the men who went missing 26 days ago while they were on board and guarding a seized Philippine-flagged boat that had allegedly been fishing illegally in North Sulawesi waters. A Navy patrol boat had been towing the vessel back to base when stormy weather caused the towline to be disconnected.

“There is no deadline for the search effort. We should find them. If it’s an accident, we want to know why,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rear Adm. Supartono, the father of Faisal Dwi AR, said he hoped that his son and the other three men would be found alive.

“We pray every night with congregation members and orphans for the safety of the officers,” Supartono said.

Besides the Navy, he said the Indonesia Military (TNI) Strategic Intelligence Agency was also helping to search for the missing men. (jun)